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Curry Row

East Village, ManhattanEthnic enclaves in New York (state)Indian-American culture in New York CityRestaurant districts and streets in the United StatesRestaurants in Manhattan
Streets in Manhattan

"Curry Row," or "Little India," and sometimes called Curry Lane, is an area of East Sixth Street, from First Avenue to Second Avenue, in the East Village of Lower Manhattan, with approximately 20 South Asian restaurants. Curry Row started in 1968 when six brothers, all from Bangladesh, bought a former Japanese restaurant for $1,800; the owner of the property accepted that price instead of the initial $2,000 because the brothers could only pay $1,600. The brothers established the restaurant Shah Bag because of existing demand and because the area South Asians wanted a place where they could eat familiar cuisine. One of the brothers, Manir Ahmed, immigrated to the United States in 1954. Andrew Jacobs of The New York Times stated that "Manir Ahmed was the one name that was invariably stuffed in the pockets of new arrivals" and that the brothers "are revered as patriarchs in the Bangladeshi community".Most of the restaurateurs that came to the area were from Sylhet Division. The restaurants, many named after films or people or characters seen in films, were popular with hippies in the 1970s who expressed an interest in South Asian culture. Many of the cooks served northern Indian cuisine even though their native Bangladeshi cuisine was significantly different. Olid Ahmed, the nephew of the first restaurateurs in Curry Row, stated that he got assistance from the chef of the Embassy of Pakistan. By the 1980s the restaurants became financially lucrative, and changes in immigration law meant there were more immigrants from Bangladesh. In 1984 there were about 10 South Asian restaurants. In the following decade that number was 27.By 1996, The New York Times reported that several of the restaurants experienced financial issues as Indian restaurants opened in other parts of the New York metropolitan area. With increased competition, the newspaper reported that a "price war" resulted in relationships between people being damaged.In 2008 there were around twelve South Asian restaurants in the area.In 2019 the South Asian-oriented publication The Juggernaut reported that some of the restaurants remained in operation while others had closed.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Curry Row (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Curry Row
East 6th Street, New York Manhattan

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Latitude Longitude
N 40.726944444444 ° E -73.9875 °
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East 6th Street 320
10003 New York, Manhattan
New York, United States
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Kiev Restaurant

The Kiev Restaurant (also known as the Kiev Diner or simply The Kiev) was a Ukrainian restaurant located in the East Village section of New York City. Founded in 1978 by Soviet emigrant to the United States Michael Hrynenko (1954–2004), the site was the former location of Louis Auster's Candy Shop, who was one of the original creators of the egg cream.Kiev for most of its existence was open for business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It was located at 117 Second Avenue, on the southwest corner of the intersection of Second Avenue and Seventh Street. At one time, the area was known as the "Pierogi Belt" because of the large number of Ukrainian restaurants; by 2007, only a few remained, such as Veselka. Kiev was popular for Ukrainians who attended St. George's Church down the street, who would go out for brunch after service at Kiev. In its original form, Kiev was closed in 2000 by its owner. It then went through several abortive remodelings and reopenings, closing for good in 2006. The cuisine was largely Eastern European, including pierogi, challah, matzah brei, kasha varnishkis (kasha over bow-tie pasta), blintzes, fruit compote and so on, though typically American items such as french fries were also available.The restaurant was a local cultural institution, famed not only for its cuisine and perpetual availability but also for the eclectic and colorful variety of patrons. It is mentioned in the song "Detachable Penis" by the band King Missile. Poets Allen Ginsberg and Ted Berrigan included the Kiev in poems. The restaurant had many other notable regulars during its tenure.

East Village/Lower East Side Historic District
East Village/Lower East Side Historic District

The East Village/Lower East Side Historic District in Lower Manhattan, New York City was created by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on October 9, 2012. It encompasses 330 buildings, mostly in the East Village neighborhood, primarily along Second Avenue between East 2nd and 6th Streets, and along the side streets. Some of the buildings are located in a second area between First Avenue and Avenue A along East 6th and 7th Streets. The district is based on the one which had been proposed by the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, with only minor changes, and is the result of a two-year effort to protect the area.Significant buildings which are located within the district include Congregation Adas Yisroel Anshe Mezeritz Synagogue at 415 East 6th Street, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Protection of the Holy Virgin at 59 East 2nd Street, the Community Synagogue at 323 East 6th Street which was originally the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew, from which parish which many of the victims of the General Slocum disaster came, the building housing the Pyramid Club at 101 Avenue A, and the Middle Collegiate Church at 112 Second Avenue. In addition the district features many row houses and tenements in the Greek Revival style, and numerous buildings constructed for the German immigrants who dominated the neighborhood in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The district also includes the theatres on East 4th Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery, which the city has named a cultural district, as well as several remnants of the theatres on Second Avenue when Yiddish theatre thrived there and it was called the "Jewish Rialto". Three buildings contributing to this district were destroyed in the East Village gas explosion on March 26, 2015.: 239–242